I Advocate for Myself - Week of Jan. 12th

"A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence." ~James N. Watkins

The Michigan snow machine started up mid-week.  Chris left Thursday afternoon for a guys weekend at Crystal Mountain to snowboard.

Thursday evening, Cam and his mom made their way to CrossFit for the weekly Ability Athletes class.  Cameron and five other peers were present.  After the participants completed their 45 minutes, the parents had to take part in the final exercise they call "Bring Sally Up, Bring Sally Down" which follows the music of the same name.  Each time that phrase is sung, a squat down and then standing up follows.  Cam used the controls on his chair to transport himself into standing mode and sitting mode. So, even Jane had a mini workout at the end of the class.

Fortunately, Cam was able to make his way up the snowy driveway after school on Friday following bus drop-off.  Jane explained to her son once they made it into the house that afternoon, they would most likely be there until Chris arrived home early Sunday.  Sometimes, plans require modification.

Friday evening, Jane accidentally dropped the remote for Cam's ceiling track in the shower.  We quickly realized it is not waterproof due to the buttons not working after Cam had his shower.  Jane resorted to using a stepstool to access the manual buttons on the main compartment housed adjacent to the ceiling. That night after speaking to Chris, she followed his recommendation to place the remote in uncooked rice in a sealed container.  This would help absorb the moisture.  

Saturday morning, though, Cam's mom had to call for backup.  Neighbor and good friend, Mr. Steve arrived to assist. The remote had completely stopped functioning and two people were required for manual transfers.  

Due to Cameron's persistence, his mom was able to locate a service number to contact.  Jane forewarned Cam they would not answer on a Saturday.  To her (huge) surprise, a technician not only answered but also opened a formal case and provided some helpful advice for further drying out the internal components.  Shortly thereafter, our local Michigan company called us and we were able to order a new remote, which are now being made waterproof- imagine that!  After all of the craziness, Cam and his mom had fun with the karaoke machine and belted out a few songs.

Chris arrived home earlier than he had intended but needed to plow the driveway which was covered with snow.  

Sunday afternoon, we were ready for Cam's adaptive skiing outing. At Cannonsburg, we welcomed Jim and his daughter Aliya to Team Cam. Jim is an expert at tethering and guiding Cam down the slopes.  He is an Occupational Therapist when he's not volunteering.  Aliya is an expert skier and a junior in high school.  The conditions were the best for our winter sports and even though we were a bit chilly, we definitely had a lot of fun!

Sunday evening we were talking about the stressful moments over the weekend that we could now smile about.  Cam reminded us that he was advocating for himself when he insisted his mom call the support number. Jane was reminded that assumptions can be proven wrong and sometimes, instead of "mom knows best" it can be "son knows better!"

Camology Quotes:

Cam is observant. However, we all miss things.  When arriving home from school and driving up the driveway, he mistakenly declared:

"Mom, this is not my coat. I am wearing someone else's coat today!" 

"That is your new winter coat. It's just the first day you've worn it." 

"Oh, whoops. I guess I missed that."

Making Deals - Week of Jan. 5th

"Ring out the false, ring in the true." ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson

We were talking about who first started New Year's Resolutions. It cannot be attributed to a single person but there are some interesting past details.

The tradition of making New Year’s resolutions has very ancient roots—it wasn’t invented by any single person but evolved over thousands of years across different cultures. By the 19th century, the phrase “New Year’s resolution” appeared in print (Boston newspaper, 1813), and the concept shifted toward personal self-improvement goals rather than religious vows. Today, it’s mostly secular and focused on health, habits, and lifestyle changes. Examples of Victorian Era resolutions:  "Write more letters to friends" and "Spend less on frivolous hats." Popular Early 1900s resolutions: "Stop smoking cigars indoors" and "Learn to dance the waltz properly."

We had a good laugh about how resolutions seem short-lived instead of lifestyle changes for good.

While the deer were looking forward to finding treats in our backyard, Cam was looking forward to exercise class at Cross Fit.  The Ability Athletes class moved to Thursday evenings to save Saturday for other activities.

Friday was the first Unified Basketball game of the season.  Chris attended with Cameron's team and the match finished before dinner.

Saturday's agenda included putting together a new desk for Chris. Cam was set up with the directions.  He guided his dad along and at one point, they briefly disagreed on the screw type in one of the steps.  As they continued along, Chris realized his son had been correct in his insistence and he had to disassemble some parts prior to re-assembling once again.  The curved monitor looks especially cool on the new desk and now father and son have matching pieces for their desk areas.

Sunday marked the first of five sessions for adaptive skiing at Cannonsburg.  The program is through ASAWM (Adaptive Skiing Association of West Michigan.  Cam was fortunate enough to have one of the veteran instructors guide him down the hill.  Chris snowboards and Jane skis alongside their son as "guards" along with other volunteers.

Cam's latest favorite phrase is "How about I make you a deal..." which leads to a statement about how he thinks something should go or a negotiation that will bring him to his own desired outcome.  

For his first ski session of the season, he was a bit hesitant.  Prior to heading out to Cannonsburg, he told his parents "How about I make you a deal. If I wipe out today, I definitely do not want to do adaptive skiing next year."

Fortunately, for us all Cam remained upright for each of his runs.  His mom, however, did have a small wipeout when she hit a patch of ice.  As she told her son, it would not deter her from continuing to ski this season or the next one!

Camology Quotes:

Chris has learned how to ride with Cam and his equipment on the chairlift at Cannonsburg. A new employee handling the lift greeted each of the skiers and we all noticed, especially Cam, who commented to his dad:

"It's good they can be so attentive and still do their job!"

Bring on 2026! Week of Dec. 29th

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." ~ Maria Robinson

C.S. Lewis said, "There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind."

Cameron was feeling good for his last week of winter break.  A scheduled haircut on Monday had Cam styling once again.

On Tuesday, a sweet surprise awaited us...in the late afternoon.  Our friends from upstate New York appeared at our door.  Not only did they show up bearing Christmas gifts, but they also brought all of the ingredients for an amazing dinner.  Gifts included handmade ornaments, kitchen scrubbers and smoked jerky made by Drew. A historical book about World War II and the Japanese soldiers was given to Cam by Drew and Jack. Vyanna, along with her mom known as Nana taught us how to assemble the wontons and eggrolls.  Nana made the pinwheels with her expert folding technique.

We taught the family how to play our new favorite game, Uno Flip.  This led to a great deal of laughter and a few marathon rounds.  On a subsequent evening, we embarked on a lesson in handmade spring rolls.  All of the ingredients are lined up on a tray for assembling and the rice paper is dipped in lukewarm water prior to adding the pre-cooked chicken and vegetables.  A light sauce is used to complement the filling and there is no baking.  We all deemed this one of the 'cleanest' meals we'd ever tasted.

The backyard deer made an appearance as well during the snowy day.  We were so happy we were able to spend quality time with our friends over the course of a few days.

Cam rang in the new year with his parents at home.  Chris surprised us by revealing that he had created a Family Trivia game based on Cameron's blog!  He casted it to the tv and we played for quite some time.

Cam was successful in winning a few rounds, although his dad did have the upper hand since he was the creator.

On Saturday evening, we were excited to meet up with our friends, Matt and Jill, for dinner at a local restaurant, Vitale's.  It was a very cold night. Jill brought her service dog, Tarzan, a golden retriever who is so well-behaved.

We shared tasty appetizers and Chris and his son shared a delicious pizza for their dinner.  We had such a good time.  

All of us agreed, though, that our next planned outing will take place at Cam's house where everyone can hear each other more easily.

Camology Quotes:

Cam's parents enjoyed multiple days off during the week.  Perhaps that is why his parents slacked off a bit. When Cam announced on Alexa for assistance, Jane appeared, but Chris did not.  When Cam's dad finally came in the room later, Cam informed him:

"You're oblivious, Dad. You are hearing only what you want to hear!"

Merry & Bright - Week of Dec. 22nd

“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” ~Gustav Mahler

It was hard to believe Christmas was almost here!  

With the beginning of Cam's winter break, he started coughing and was fighting a runny nose.  Jane had picked up Oma on Sunday and we were hopeful Cameron would feel better.  We opted for watching the church's Christmas Eve service online.  Our dear friend Patti, surprised us by dropping off her most delicious homemade chicken soup and freshly baked bread accompanied by Steve's scrumptious homemade caramel corn.

By the next morning, we were all ready to celebrate Christmas🎄Following our tradition of opening stockings, we took turns unveiling gifts we had chosen for each other.  Oma always finds treasures from the Maruska store for each of us to wear.  Cam expertly chose gifts that he wrapped at school.  It seemed one of the themes we all inadvertently picked up on were new games: Uno No Mercy, Uno Flip, Impossible Puzzle, Grand Rapids Monopoly and Hot Streak. 

Our afternoon was spent testing out the new Uno games which led to lots of laughing! There are some key differences between Flip and Classic Uno games.

With Uno Flip, players start on the Light Side of the deck, matching cards by color, number, or symbol. When someone plays a Flip card, the game switches to the Dark Side, which has more challenging action cards (like Draw Five and Skip Everyone). The game continues flipping between sides until a player plays their last card. After each round, points are scored based on the cards remaining in opponents’ hands. The first player to reach 500 points wins the game.  We played multiple rounds and finally started preparing dinner.  That evening, we ventured out for our Christmas lights tour in the surrounding area.

On Friday, Dec. 26th, we welcomed a small subset of our extended family for a holiday gathering at our place.  Prior to 2020, we hosted the annual party for more than five years.  Cam had been asking if we would ever be able to have it again.  It seemed this was the time to resurrect that tradition.  Even though we had less than twenty people (compared to almost 50 when everyone was in attendance) it was fun to reconnect and re-visit memories together.

Saturday afternoon, we brought Oma back to her home, very thankful for the extra time we had with each other.  As Cam noted, we even started a new tradition- playing games on Christmas Day!

Camology Quotes:

When Cam wasn't feeling well, he reported his wellness percentage each morning when he woke up:

"Today, my coughing is 80%, my runny nose is 70% my stomach is 95% and overall, I am about 80%."

The Christmas Card - Week of Dec. 15th

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, with every Christmas card I write. May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white.”  ~Irving Berlin 

Did you know the Christmas card tradition began in 1843? Overwhelmed by holiday correspondence, Sir Henry Cole commissioned the first printed card—a simple design wishing “A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year.” From that single idea, a global tradition was born, evolving from hand-painted greetings to today’s colorful, personalized cards. More than just paper, Christmas cards remain a heartfelt way to share joy and connection during the season. 

• The first commercial Christmas card cost one shilling in 1843—quite pricey for the time! 
• Early cards often featured spring flowers, not snow scenes, because they symbolized renewal. Americans send over 1.6 billion holiday cards every year, even in the digital age. 
• The largest Christmas card ever made was over 16 feet tall!
  

Our family Christmas card is a labor of love.  It is a tradition, like this blog, that seems so tedious, yet very rewarding. 

*fully magnified wording*

2025 has sped past like a winter breeze, Moments turned to memories with total ease. Winter began with Cannonsburg snow, Cam’s adaptive skiing—confidence on show. March brought respite at Indian Trails, A weekend of peace where happiness prevails. Springtime arrived with WMML swings, Baseball, friends and all that it brings. Jane’s May escape to N.C.’s mountains and more, Time with Leslie, a surprise spa and memories to store. June was special with Grandma Sue and Layna here, Family visits fill hearts with laughter and cheer. Summer unfolded with sunshine bright, Indian Trails camp—a week of delight. Miss Amanda’s fun and Ann’s tutoring with care, Fishing for Chris in warm summer air. Outdoor concerts for Chris and Jane under starry skies, Music and laughter where summer joy lies. Beach days at Oma’s, Lake Michigan’s glow, Cam’s mobile chair rolling where soft waves flow. An accessible boardwalk at the cottage too, Making dreams come true for our entire crew. And at home, a door that automatically opens wide, Cam’s new independence fills us with pride. July brought sports camp—wheelchair strong, Power soccer kicks kept Cam moving along. August called us to Mills River’s view, A family road trip with mountains in hue. Ali and Daree’s wedding, a joyful scene, So much love in the air, our vacation serene. Celebrating Cam turning eighteen in style, At Sierra Nevada—smiles all the while. Autumn returned with applesauce sweet, A family tradition that can’t be beat. Halloween at MFB, giving hearts their best, Supporting the Guild with community zest. Thanksgiving blessings with Oma and Miss Ann, Grateful for health and our loving clan. Through it all, our cousins—our laughter, our glue, Every moment with them feels warm and true. Supporting Lori’s Voice, Renew Mobility too, And Be Café’s mission that started with Brody true. From our family to yours, stay strong and bright, May Christmas bring peace and pure delight. With health, with love, with laughter near, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It was a busy week of working, mailing packages and cards.  Our weekend was spent catching up on home projects and shopping trips.  Of course, Chris took time out to make his son laugh, which is a daily occurrence.  When Jane made a request to her husband to make rice, he immediately went outside to grab some icicles.  He put them in a pot and brought them to Cam, announcing "Mom told me to make ice!"

Camology Quotes:

Cam's sarcastic side shines through at times.  When engaging in his evening routine one night, Chris reminded him about something he had to do to which he responded:

"Okay Captain Obvious!"

The Weather Outside is Frightful - Week of Dec. 8th

"To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold." ~Aristotle

Cam's mom spent most of her school years in Michigan.  Jane has told Cam stories from her younger years about waiting to hear if her school was closed by listening to the radio or watching the tv.  

With the arrival of modern technology- text messages, automated phone calls and emails dominate the communication field of school cancellations.  There is even a School Snow Day Calculator website to determine the viability.

Even with these portals, we were all still surprised by the closure on Wednesday when we received the automated 'school is closed' text and email messages at 5:30am.  Thankfully, Cam was able to go back to sleep and didn't awaken until 8am.

The weekend brought a visit from our cousins who came to Grand Rapids for some birthday celebrations.  We dined at one of our favorite sushi spots, Ju Sushi and Lounge.  It was Cam's first time there and for some of his cousins as well.

Chris and Jane recommended the playboy sushi roll.  It contains spicy tuna, tempura shrimp, cream cheese and asparagus topped with shrimp, eel sauce, Japanese mayo, sriracha and furikake. It is delivered to the table...on fire.  It was quite the sight to see!

With the treacherous weather this week, Chris put himself on snowplow duty.  Unfortunately, the heavy packed snow thwarted his plans.  The belt on the converted tractor broke and it was time for some serious mechanical endeavors in the garage.  Fortunately for Cam's dad, his son was all about trying to help work with him through the challenge.  The dynamic duo fixed the snowplow and had fun with making a photo with A.I.!  The picture on the left is the original photo and then the one with the snowman is digitized- artificial intelligence created the snowman shown in front of the plow!!

Camology Quotes:

It's that time of year when we start watching holiday movies again. Cam and his mom decided on "Deck the Halls" - a show about a neighbor who becomes obsessed with decorating his house so it can be seen from space. The neighbor rivalry escalates into an over-the-top competition, creating chaos for their families and the entire neighborhood. Cam wisely found the life lesson when they realized family mattered most.

"Mom, they were both wrong. I'm glad they figured it out."

Cheerful Singing - Week of Dec. 1st

“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.”  ~Buddy the Elf (from the movie Elf, written by David Berenbaum)

A young buck awaited Cam's arrival as his bus pulled to a stop in front of his home after school in the afternoon.  With the snow sticking around, the wildlife appear to be foraging more.

Monday evening, Cam was anticipating his choir concert.  He talks about the music director, Mr. Wheaton, quite a bit.  Chris and Jane sat with Brody's family. The program was a short 45 minutes and divided into three groups as well as the entire ensemble.

Cam was a part of the Vocality section with his best bud, Brody.

The director, Mr. Wheaton, began the program saying that the kids determined what they would be singing based on choice.

The Vocality singers chose Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Ad Astra and All I Want for Christmas is You.  Cameron even had his own microphone!

The Northern Singers were next up with a trio of musical numbers, followed by the Elite group titled Chorale.  The last number included all sections and was a personal favorite of Jane's: Carol of the Bells.

The weekend marked holiday events for Fishbeck, the longtime employer of Cam's dad.  

Friday evening was the department outing for the IT staff and Saturday was the fancy holiday party held at JW Marriott.  

Amanda stayed with Cam for the first eve and Ms. Ann arrived for the Saturday's festivities.  

Cam and Ann watched the movie "The Best Christmas Present Ever" and thoroughly enjoyed it.  

Chris and Jane stayed out much later than usual and were grateful for their son's tardy wake up time of 8:30am.

Cam is still participating in his Ability Athletes class on Saturday mornings.  Each time, he tries something new and the coaches learn more about his strengths.  And his parents are reminded that their son continues to surprise them, in the subtlest of ways.

Camology Quotes:

Once again, Chris and his son were having fun with A.I. and created this picture.

They uploaded a photo of our Christmas tree and asked the A.I. engine to add presents for Cam around it. 

Even his son was surprised by the results.

"Dad, I would never have THAT many presents!"

The Holiday Prep - Week of Nov. 24th

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." ~Cicero

Turkeys were on the run in our backyard this week as we prepared for the big feast.

Before Thursday, Cam was busy.  His physical therapy and swimming sessions each Monday evening are activities he looks forward to.  His PT, Mr. Patrick has been working with Cameron for 10+ years.  They typically finish his appointment with some extended sitting practice.  

At school, Cam helped chop potatoes for homemade soup which he indicated was delicious.

On Wednesday, both Jane and her son had the day off.  After picking up Oma, a stop was made to claim our reserved fresh local turkey.  That afternoon, Cam and his mom made their way to Mary Free Bed for an orthotics appointment.  The casting was completed for replacement AFOs (ankle foot orthotics) just as snow started falling.

Our family loves turkey.  On Thursday, Chris readied our 20lb bird for baking. Cam's grandma, he and his mom worked to peel potatoes, add the ingredients for the homemade stuffing and ready the vegetables, sweet potatoes and biscuits.

Thanksgiving originates from a 1621 harvest feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts, shared between the English colonists (Pilgrims) and the Wampanoag people. While this is the event most famously associated with the holiday's beginnings, Thanksgiving celebrations were not an annual event at the time. The modern holiday traces its roots to a national proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, which established Thanksgiving as a national holiday celebrated on the last Thursday of November.  In 1941, Congress set the fourth Thursday of the November as the federal holiday in celebration of Thanksgiving. 

Ms. Ann arrived with the coveted homemade cranberry relish to accompany our feast.  We all stated what we were most thankful for before enjoying our meal.  Topping that list was each other, our family, our health, our friends and the delicious assortment of food on our table.  Dessert was a surprise Jane had planned.  She pre-ordered mini Crumbl pies.  Six were delivered on Wednesday and everyone had at least one bite from each.  The french silk pie came in first followed by the Reese's chocolate peanut butter, then a collective tie for raspberry, pumpkin, oreo and brookie.

After dinner, Chris and Cam had a bit of fun with AI by embellishing some photos involving a turkey and a rocket, respectively! 🤣

Friday afternoon was spent decorating the Christmas tree and the surrounding area.  It always feels like such a big accomplishment to have it all done.

We collectively took a break that afternoon, relaxing and watching a movie.  Each of us ended up using a separate blanket to make things feel extra cozy.

Friday evening, we treated Oma to an early birthday dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants, Cascade Roadhouse.  Cam and his grandma split the perch dinner.  We felt fortunate to be able to sit in the outdoor enclosure next to the fireplace.  We even met another family who was on the other side of the fire and had a nice time getting acquainted.

A winter storm warning was in place for Saturday evening and Sunday, so Jane drove Oma back to her home in the afternoon.

We took our customary family pic in front of the tree.

Although we had planned to have Oma until Sunday, we all agreed it would be easiest to have her return a little early with the incoming weather.

Jane and her mom worked to trim the tree at Oma's place prior to heading back to GR.  Cam was happy to know that his grandma's place was decorated too!

By Sunday morning, the white stuff blanketed everything. 

We knew we had made the right decision based on the amount of snow that covered our neighborhood!

Camology Quotes:

Cam brought home a school assignment that was labeled 'I'm Thankful For' in honor of Thanksgiving.  

He chose the word "Family" with a further description using this format:

• Funny
• Awesome
• Mellow
• Inclusive
• Loving
• Yappy